A new era is on the horizon for Saints with Dutch legend Ronald Koeman their new manager and the the club will once again look to its famed academy to churn out players for the future. Southampton’s odds to be relegated have been slashed from 40-1 to 4-1 by the bookmakers and there is a real sense of doom and gloom when it comes to how Saints have been ruthlessly broken up. One of the PL’s most attractive teams in 2013-14 may be fighting for survival this season.

Last season: The Saints enjoyed their best-ever finish in the Premier League in eighth place and recorded their best ever points tally. Under former boss Pochettino they played a high-pressure game and talented English youngsters such as Shaw, Lallana and Jay Rodriguez stole the show. The South Coast club were third after the first few months of the season and there was serious talk about a top-six finish however a spate of injuries around the festive period but that to bed. Overall, one of the most successful seasons in club history, hence why so many of their players were cherry picked by England’s top clubs.

Source: Southampton FC

Star player: Dusan Tadic

Tadic, 25, has been signed from Twente with big boots to fill but the Serbian international is more than capable of doing so. With Lallana off to Liverpool, Tadic is tasked with being Saints’ chief creator from midfield and he’s already has a promising preseason under his belt. He has scored 16 goals in each of his last two seasons in Holland and also led the Eredivisie in assists last year. If Saints deal with the players they’ve lost smoothly, Tadic’s play will be a big reason for that. If Rodriguez and Morgan Schneiderlin remain at Saints, they will also be hugely important.

Coaches’ Corner:Ronald Koeman

Getting Koeman to leave Dutch giants Feyenoord was something of a coup for the ambitious club as the former FC Barcelona star has ushered in “Ronald’s Revolution” with wholesale changes. Koeman led Feyenoord to Champions League qualification last season and turned the Rotterdam club around after their were left in financial ruin. His status as one of the most respected defenders in European soccer during his playing days is undoubted and his high-profile should see plenty more new signings arrive between now and the end of August at St. Mary’s. Plus, his new assistant coach is his brother, Erwin, so there’s that. And he loves to Tweet.

PST predicts: It what has been an offseason of turmoil for the Saints it is very hard to predict how this will go. In many people’s eyes the dramatic exodus sees the club as one of the favorites for relegation but in truth they still have plenty of top class internationals on the books. If players like Schneiderlin and Rodriguez stick around and the $175 million they raised by selling players is spent wisely, they should be midtable at worst. That said, the dreaded “R” word is being whispered at St. Mary’s.